Lesson 3: Your Guide to Publishing GBP Posts
In Lesson 2, we walked you through the varying components of your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business - GMB) you’ll want to optimize right off the bat.
If you haven't yet read through that, find it here.
Assuming you’ve followed those steps and have everything in place, we’re ready to move to the next step: posting.
Through GBP, you can post about business updates, promotions, news, events, and other informative content. Posts show up in your GBP when customers either directly search for your business on Google or stumble upon your GBP in Google Search or Maps. In this sense, GBP can double as both an informative guide and a social media profile.
Why Should I Post?
Boost Online Visibility
Before we get to the ‘how’ and ‘what’, why is posting worth your time? Let’s start with the basics. Right off the bat, GBP posts boost map pack rankings and increase the likelihood of your business showing up on the first page of local search results.
Get an Edge on the Competition
Next, not a lot of businesses are doing it — meaning this is your opportunity to stand out from the competition and differentiate yourself. A study that looked at over 2,000 GBP profiles found that only 17.5% of those businesses had an active post in the last 7 days. Publishing posts that your target audience will appreciate can help you get an edge on the competition.
Keep Your Profile Fresh
Your GBP thrives on up-to-date information. We’ve covered this in previous lessons, but Google prioritizes profiles that are being continually updated and added to - it's one way Google knows your business is operating normally.
GBP posts keep content fresh on your profile, which customers and Google will both appreciate.
What Should I Post?
Ultimately, your posts should all promote information that your customers will find helpful or interesting. Keep in mind that Google typically removes all posts within 7 days of being published (except for events) in an effort to keep content relevant and fresh for customers.
With that in mind, Google posts should be timely and not evergreen (content that does not age quickly). Save evergreen content for your site and blog.
News
Whether you’re launching a new product or are serving up special cocktails this weekend, keep customers in the loop with any exciting announcements on your end.
Updates
Similar to sharing what’s new with your business, you can also make GBP posts about updated business hours, location changes, and other critical business updates.
Promotions
Posting about exclusive business offers is a great way to get the word out about current promotions.
Customers love a good sale, so you’ll likely see a boost in your clickthrough rate on GBP posts featuring discount codes or sale promotions.
Google will add a "View Offer" button to these posts, making them a solid lead generation opportunity.
Events
If you’re hosting an in-store event, post about it so that your local audience is in the know. Pictures and videos can be added to your posts to further promote the event and get people excited for what’s to come.
Weekly Specials
A fundamental approach to engaging an audience is to establish a consistent topic and rhythm. To start, try introducing a weekly special that changes week to week. If you can, make it fun - give customers a reason to check back in regularly.
How Do I Post?
Creating and publishing GBP posts can be accomplished by following these 7 simple steps. For starters, log into your GBP account and access your GBP dashboard.
- Click on “Posts’ from your GBP Dashboard
- Select a post type (Your options here include Offers, Events, What’s New, and COVID-19 Update).
- Add photos or videos
- Write your post by including details
- Choose a call-to-action button
- Add a link or phone number
- Preview & publish your post
There you have it. You’ve officially worked through your crash course in GBP posting.
Next, reviews.
Reviews are the best way to bring in more customers from Google. You'll learn an easy and free way to generate a direct link to leave a review, get started responding to reviews with techniques that will bring customers back, how to report fraudulent reviews, and more.
